Patent GB-1089909-A (GB)
Title: Selective delivery conveyor system
IPC: B65G17/12
Filed: 1964-10-22
Abstract: 1,089,909. Endless conveyers. MATHEWS CONVEYER CO. Ltd. Oct. 22, 1964 [Nov. 5, 1963], No. 43048/64. Heading B8A. A selective delivery vertical conveyer system comprises an endless conveyer chain 1, a plurality of carriers 7 mounted thereon, loading and unloading stations 8, 9, a plurality of permanently magnetized coding elements mounted on each carrier 7 each element being selectively movable between an operative and inoperative position, electromagnets 10 at each loading station to effect movement of the coding elements and impress a destination code on the associated carrier 7, and code detecting means 13 at each unloading station which means initiates an unloading cycle if the destination code on the carrier is coincidental with the code of that station. The chain 1 passing around sprockets 2, 3, is guided in tracks 4 over the vertical runs between the sprockets. Each carrier 7 comprises a plate 18 having article receiving recesses 20, 21 formed on horizontally extending arms 19 at each end of the plate. The carrier plate 18 is bolted to a circular gear 22 which is rotatably attached to the chain 1 at 24. Guide pulleys 25 pivoted on the gear 22 have peripheral grooves which engage the tracks 4 to horizontally stabilize the carrier 7 in vertical movement. The carrier is maintained horizontal as it passes around the end sprockets 2, 3 by a planetary gear 27 freely mounted on each sprocket and engaging the carrier gear 22 and a fixed gear 26 coaxial with each sprocket 2, 3. Each coding element on each carrier comprises a permanent magnet slidable in a compartment 30 formed in a non-magnetic container 29 on each end of and below the plate 17 of the carrier 7. Steel plugs at each end of the compartment 30 hold the slidable magnet in either end position once it has been moved adjacent thereto by electromagnetic means. In operation, an empty carrier 7 passing up to a loading station 8 operates a detection switch 11 by a permanent magnet 32 on the carrier to energize two of five electromagnetic coding coils 10, the coils corresponding to the code of the required unloading station and having been manually selected for operation upon energization of the circuit. These coils 10 attract the relevant magnets in the compartments 30 into the operative position. As the carrier approaches the relevant unloading station 9 a switch 14 operated by the magnet 32 on the carrier 7 stops the conveyer if the unloading equipment is not ready to receive another article, otherwise the carrier continues and the operative magnets thereon actuate the like coded switches 13 and unloading occurs. Code eraser coils 16 at the end of the unloading run of the system attract the magnets in the compartments 30 into their inoperative positions ready for re-coding unless the carried article was not unloaded in which case a light beam 68 is broken which renders the eraser coils inactive. If the carrier is still loaded upon approaching the loading station 8, a light beam 12 is broken prior to the switch 11 being operated and the coder coils 10 are thereby prevented from being energized.